Rethinking Work-Life Balance in the Modern World

Is 3 Hours Per Day Enough?

I grew up in a hustle society, and I used to be one of the best. I always had fantastic grades in school (except for the period when my parents got divorced). I graduated from environmental system sciences with honors, and I was one of the few who received a scholarship. Later, when I had a job, I continued striving to be the best. In sales, I was the best account manager with the highest revenue, and I had company perks like a phone, car, free concert tickets, etc.

You would think that I had a good life, but on the inside, I was slowly getting more and more depressed. Every day was the same routine, a constant competition, all about money, image, prestige, and social standing.

I grew weary of this whole 9–5 game, and it gradually started to take over my weekends. The more responsibility I had, the higher my income, the more involved I became with the company. The company became my whole life. My colleagues turned into friends, and the company started to feel like a second home. It was a great company for what it was, and I did enjoy some of my time there, but in the end, I was left with this feeling, this thought.

Is this it? Is this life? And then I die?

I started exploring Yoga and Meditation. Initially, I had a few days in the Alps in Austria at a yoga retreat, then extended it to a whole week.

I had to follow a strict daily schedule, but this time the schedule was devoted to human needs, my needs. We had meditation at 5:30 am, sometimes a silent walk (depending on the weather), and after meditation, we had 30 minutes of free time to enjoy freshly made herbal tea with the scent of burnt sage in the air. Following this serene break, we engaged in a 90-minute Yoga asana class, followed by a hot shower. Lunch was at 11:30, featuring all Ayurvedic and super healthy dishes. Afternoon options included joining a lecture or, more often for me, taking a nap due to exhaustion from my regular life. Late afternoon involved another yoga class, dinner, and the day concluded with meditation or satsang, sometimes both.

This experience felt like heaven. I was able to think for the first time in years, working on both my body and mind.

During this week, I realized for the first time that I had to do something else with my life, something with more meaning. I detested being a 9–5 rat and needed to find a way out. I was 100% sure.

Upon returning to work, even with the right intentions initially, I had no idea how to proceed. How would I pay my bills? Should I look for a different but somewhat similar job? I wasn’t ready, so I did nothing. I continued with the life I now didn’t enjoy much. Parties started feeling numb and dull. Everything seemed to fall apart. I had a significant falling out with my boss, making everything even more challenging. I had to get out.

When I met my partner, Travis, about 2 years later, I was still working full-time, but I knew that I wanted to get out desperately. Travis, coming from an upper-middle-class family, had a different perspective on dealing with jobs and money. For him, closing one chapter only meant opening a new one, making it easy for him to make a decision like this.

Travis said, “So, why not quit?”

When the time finally came to take this step, I had already become a 200-hour Yoga Teacher during my last holidays while still working full-time.

Now I knew. I would become a yoga teacher, and I did, and it worked.

Today, I also have other income sources like Medium, teaching Meditation online, or giving 1:1 yoga classes. This way, my income risk is spread quite nicely.

I am not ready to work full-time for anything anymore, but I was ready to lower monthly living costs massively so I can do so.

I like to work about 3–5 hours a day, and then I want to have my peace.

Am I lazy? Call it whatever you want. I cannot give all my life energy into work just to pay my bills. Since figuring out a few things and adapting my living style, it’s actually quite easy to maintain how I live long-term.

It doesn’t matter what future projects I come up with (and I already have a few planned), I never want to spend all my life working. Most of my life is for me, my family, and our experiences. I will not chase after money, prestige, and social standing anymore. I decided to live, to be free.

I witnessed how money and jobs keep fathers and mothers away from their families. Do we really need a flat-screen TV and a cool-looking modern car and the house renovation?

Think about it.

Feel loved, feel hugged.

Namasté

Alina

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